


you ain't slick slim shady

by nerdiests



Series: Linked Universe Weekly Prompts [6]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Wolves, he isn't, my headcanons on warriors' backstory, secrets being revealed, twilight thinks he's slick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 22:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20713679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdiests/pseuds/nerdiests
Summary: Warriors has a dream.little does he know that it's anything but





	you ain't slick slim shady

**Author's Note:**

> whoo boy this was a ride!!  
i would like to thank silona for giving me the base idea that inspired this and for reading over it for me, and leg for just being great and reading over this for me too (and helping me with tags)

Night time was something Warriors enjoyed. It was nice to be able to look up at the night sky and count the stars, like he had when he was younger. Before everything had gone sideways. Either way, looking up at the sky when the group settled down was a pastime of his. It helped him to settle the emotions he felt when making flower braids and crowns couldn’t, when reading and immersing himself in another’s life couldn’t. The stars were constant, even if the constellations changed across the different Hyrules. At least Warriors could say he had them. 

That particular night wasn’t all that different from the others. They were out in a forest - Legend had said it was his Hyrule - and everyone was settled down for the night. They had supped, Wind had told one of his outlandish stories that everyone enjoyed, and as the fire started to dim ever so slightly, people were starting to fall asleep. Warriors knew he was on the cusp of rest himself, and he could hear Wind snoring heavily from his bedroll. Wind was the only one that snored that loud, anyways. Warriors’ eyes slid shut for a few seconds, but he shook his head and tried to focus back on the book he’d been reading - it was the climax of the story, he  _ needed _ to finish it, but...

“You going to sleep, Warriors?” Blinking a few times, Warriors turned to see Twilight standing next to where Warriors sat, holding a book. With a sigh, Warriors put his bookmark where it belonged and set the book down. 

“Probably. I’m too tired to focus on this book at this point. Did you need me for something or were you just asking?” Warriors said, before processing what Twilight was holding. 

“Yeah, I just wanted to give you back your book. I finished it earlier, and it was a great read. If you’ve got any more recommendations I’d love to hear them,” Twilight said as he handed Warriors his copy of  _ The Hobbit _ . With a sleepy smile, Warriors took the book back and carefully placed it into his pack. 

“Tomorrow. ‘M not as coherent right now. Pretty tired,” Warriors replied a bit sleepily, getting a chuckle and a nod from Twilight. 

“Tomorrow then,” Twilight said. Warriors nodded - although it was more of his head lolling to the side than anything - and laid down on his bedroll after moving the book he’d been reading into his pack. It wouldn’t do any good to fall asleep sitting up, or to fall asleep on top of a book. It wouldn’t be good for his back in either scenario, and he’d rather be in peak fighting condition the next day if need be. 

He blinked again. Warriors’ eyes were drifting shut more frequently now, and he yawned quietly. As his eyes started to unfocus, he spotted Time move to take the first watch, and Twilight go off to do… Oh. Yeah. That thing he does.  _ That _ thing. Mhmm. Warriors’ eyes slid shut again, and this time they didn’t open. 

* * *

“Link, honey, get up!” Link knew this. He  _ knew _ this. But did he want to? 

“Mmmmphmmm… Five more minutes,” Link grumbled, rolling over in his blankets. This, however, was a mistake. With a loud thud, Link landed on the floor and groaned. There was a laugh that Link knew well, and a knock on the nearby door. With a grimace, Link peeked out of his cocoon of blankets to see a familiar face with a warm smile. 

“C’mon sweetheart, you need to wake up.” Link blinked a few times. That was his mother.  _ Something seemed off _ … No. It was fine. Link grumbled and bumbled for a few minutes, attempting and failing to extricate himself from the cocoon he’d trapped himself in. This wasn’t how he’d expected his morning to go. 

Either way, Link grabbed his typical wear - the green tunic with gold trim, the tan undershirt and trousers, the scarf. Link knew he didn’t really need to wear such things anymore, since he’d defeated Cia and Ganondorf and all the other evils that had been thrown at him with ease, since he’d had his friends at his side. And since peace had been returned to Hyrule, Zelda had let him return to the small town he’d grown up in, where Link and his mother started to run their inn yet again. He’d promised to come if Zelda ever called for him, but right now, Link was content. But if he was content, why did it feel…  _ Wrong? _

Once he was ready to face the day, Link headed downstairs and picked up a tray from the kitchen counter and glanced over at the cook. With a quick nod and a grateful smile, Link headed out onto the main area of the inn. Somehow, Link knew where the tray needed to go without having been told, which he didn’t question. Obviously the cook had told him… What was their name again? Link should remember…

“Oh look at that! Link, Hyrule’s savior!” Link grinned as he set down the tray to cheers from patrons. The cheers drew the rest of the inn’s customers’ attention to Link in his traditional hero’s garb - when had he put on the chain mail and the pauldron? Link couldn’t remember. Either way, the rest of the people in the inn started to cheer, and Link’s mother walked out from behind the bar - when did she get there?

“That’s my boy. Saving Hyrule, I knew you could,” his mother said softly, and Link’s grin softened in return. Of course she knew, she’d believed in him when no one else did. She’d let him go off to Hyrule Castle to train as a knight and given her blessing. She’d written - but Link couldn’t remember what she wrote. Every time that Link felt he’d lose, he thought of his mother and how he was doing everything for her. To make sure she was safe. 

But if that’s how everything had gone, then why did it feel so  _ wrong? _

The grin on Link’s face faded, and everyone paused. 

“Are you alright, Link?” His mother asked, and Link… No. He wasn’t called Link much at all anymore. 

“Warriors,” he said quietly. He could see the confused look on his mom’s face, and he met her eyes. 

“I haven’t had people calling me Link for months, mom. Everyone knows that,” Warriors continued, his hands moving to mess with the end of his scarf. 

“But… We’ve been calling you Link this whole time,” his mother replied, eyebrows furrowing as she started to think. Warriors remembered that happening a lot when he was in his early teens and they’d struggled with finances, but. The inn seemed fine now. But… It felt like it shouldn’t be. 

“This doesn’t… Feel right. None of this feels right, but I can’t put my finger on it,” Warriors said, voice still quiet. His mom gave him a pat on the shoulder, and she guided him out towards the back of the inn, where the back door was.

“Maybe you just need to get outside, sweetie,” she said, Warriors blinked as she opened the door and as the two stepped outside, something  _ shifted _ . 

“Mom?” Warriors asked, feeling a heavier weight on his shoulders, but when he looked, his mother had collapsed on his shoulders, uncomfortably limp. Warriors blinked again, and the scenery was suddenly different. They were in the Valley of Seers, with bokoblins and Hyrulian soldiers running rapidly around them. But it was as if none of them could see him. With one hand supporting his mother still, Warriors scrambled to grab a sword, only to find… He didn’t have one. He didn’t have a sword and he was in the Valley of Seers amidst a battle they were going to  _ die _ . He heard a wet cough, and his mother turned to look at him. 

“L-Link? Wh...Where are-” She couldn’t even finish her sentence before she started coughing. 

“The Valley of Seers. We shouldn’t be here,” Warriors said succinctly, before offering an arm to his mother.

“I’m going to go find help, mom. C’mon,” he said. His mom smiled at him weakly, before taking the arm he offered. 

The two made slow progress across the battlefield, Warriors never taking his eyes off his mother for anything. Somehow, they managed to get into an abandoned keep, and Warriors helped his mother sit down on the floor. He’d procured something for her to sit on from… Somewhere - he didn’t know where - but he was thankful. Warriors turned towards the entrance and looked out towards the rest of the battlefield.

“There should be someone that can help close by, just-” Warriors turned back around at the sound of a ‘thump’. His eyes widened at the sight. His mother had collapsed and. She wasn’t breathing, she wasn’t moving and-!

“Mom,  _ mom _ !” Warriors was next to her. When did he get there? And when did she get into a bed? And why did he feel smaller?

“Sweetling, I’m-” His mother cut herself off with a cough and a rasping breath. This wasn’t how she was supposed to sound, she was supposed to sound joyful and happy, full of life, not. Not sick. 

“I’m sorry that I can’t help you see your dream through,” she continued, quieter. Warriors’ vision was getting blurry. This felt extremely familiar. 

“Mom, don’t talk like that. You’re gonna be fine,” Warriors said. He remembered saying those words once before. When…

“We both know… That isn’t the truth, Link,” she said, coughing again. The room was quiet, except for her coughs and breathing. Warriors felt tears. He knew when this was. 

“Yes it is, mom, you’re going to be just fine. You’ll recover and-! And everything will go back to how it used to be.” There was a hitch in his words as he sniffled, and his mom shook her head slowly. 

“Link, I’m… I’m sorry I wasn’t a better mother to you and… That your father never stayed,” she said, voice soft and apologetic. 

“You’ve been the best mom, and I don’t care about dad, I care about  _ you _ ! Why can’t you stay, mom?” Warriors asked. There was a dark chuckle from the other side of the room.

“We both know why it is that she didn’t listen to your  _ pathetic _ pleads,  ** _Link_ ** .” Warriors whirled around and came face to face with a shadow copy of himself. Except this version of him was dressed how he had during the war, and he was clad in what he’d worn in his mid-teens. 

“ _ You, _ ” Warriors growled, reaching for a sword and getting… a stick. Why didn’t he have a sword  _ where was his sword _ . The shadow laughed mockingly. 

“You’ll never be good enough. Chosen Hero? You couldn’t even help your mother when she was sick and wasting away!” The copy continued to laugh as Warriors tightened his grip on the stick. If he needed to fight a dark copy of himself at the height of his military career and all he had was a stick, Warriors knew he was screwed. But stupidly, Warriors tightened the grip on his stick. After all, courage and bravery are facing your fears in the face of adversity, and isn’t that was Warriors was doing?

“ _ Hah! _ You think you stand a legitimate chance against me, with nothing but a stick? You’re dumber than I thought you were, Chosen Hero,” the copy continued. Warriors only gritted his teeth and pointed his stick at the copy, much like he would have if he had a sword.  _ Where was his sword. _ The copy was quiet for a moment, before hefting up his sword. He tossed it from one hand to the other like it weighed nothing, before he cut Warriors’ stick in half with inhuman finesse. 

“Useless. You’re  _ useless _ ,” the shadow said. Warriors opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Dropping the stick, both of his hands reached for his throat. Why couldn’t he…?

“What, can you not speak now? How funny. You used to be so talkative.” Warriors made a choked sound at that, almost as if he was trying to say something again. The shadow copy laughed, before looking over Warriors’ shoulder. The laughs only grew louder, and Warriors’ brow furrowed.

“And now you’ve proved my point. Take a look at your mother,  ** _Hero_ ** .” Warriors turned around again, only to see his mother lying limp in the bed, one hand splayed like she was reaching for something. With a mangled cry of anguish, Warriors made to rush to his mother’s bedside and-! 

He woke up. 

His breathing was ragged, and there were salt tracks on his face. He reached up to touch them, and found he was still crying, soundlessly. Huh. His hands moved to his throat, and he coughed. Nothing felt abnormal. It was just a dream. A nightmare.

For a moment, Warriors processed, before he let out a shaky breath as he started to tremble. He hadn’t had a nightmare since before this adventure, what could’ve caused this one? Warriors made to sit up, but before he could, there was an inquisitive noise from nearby. Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic, Warriors looked towards the noise.

“Oh. Hey T-” Warriors paused for a moment, “...Wolfie.” The wolf turned his head curiously, before padding over to Warriors’ bedroll. He made another inquisitive noise, and Warriors gave a wet laugh. 

“Heh, it’s funny. The wolf catches me after my nightmare,” Warriors said, voice soft and almost cracking. The wolf whined slightly, sounding concerned in only the way that Wolfie could. Before Warriors could say anything else, Wolfie appeared to come to a decision. As Warriors opened his mouth to speak, Wolfie walked right up to him and just. Laid down. Right on top of Warriors. 

“Get  _ off! _ ” Warriors spat out, trying to spit out the wolf hair that had got in his mouth. Warriors couldn’t see, but he just  _ knew _ that Wolfie had a look that illustrated  _ exactly _ how smug a wolf could be. For a moment, Wolfie was still, before he shifted around so that his nose was nearly touching Warriors’ face. Warriors  _ knew _ that Wolfie could see that Warriors was giving him the stink-eye. 

“You’d better not do what you’re thinking of-” And, of course, Warriors was cut off by Wolfie straight-up licking a stripe up his face. Warriors  _ barely  _ managed to get his eyes shut in time, but either way he moved his arm up to wipe wolf slobber off his face. 

“ _ Disgusting, _ ” Warriors said venomously. This time, Warriors could see the mischief in the wolf’s eyes, and he rolled his own. There was a bit of adjusting on Wolfie’s part, before he yawned and set his head down on Warriors’ chest. Warriors lifted his head up and raised a slightly wet eyebrow. 

“You’re kidding. You’re going to  _ sleep _ on top of me,” Warriors said in a deadpan. Wolfie lifted his head up slightly and tilted it  _ ever so slightly _ , before setting it back down and closing his eyes. Warriors had  _ seen _ the look Wolfie had in his eyes. He was trapped. Effectively, at any rate. With a heavy sigh, he looked back up at the stars.

“Guess I’m stuck with you,” Warriors sighed as he let his eyes follow the patterns, both familiar and not so much. For a while Warriors just stared up at the sky, not letting his eyes drift shut like he wanted them to. He’d nearly lulled himself into a state of being half-awake, when he felt a paw nudge at his hand. 

“What d’you want?” Warriors asked quietly, lifting his head up slightly to give Wolfie a look. Wolfie only nudged at his hand again. 

“ _ What _ ?” Warriors asked, a bit more exasperated. Instead of an answer, Wolfie made a gesture with his head back towards the rest of him. Warriors’ eyes narrowed, before he came to a realization.

“Oh  _ no _ I am  _ not _ going to pet you,” Warriors said, managing to keep his voice low enough to not wake anyone up, though it was a close thing. Wolfie only whined in response and nudged his paw at Warriors’ hand again. With yet another heavy sigh, Warriors reluctantly lifted up his hand and moved it to pet Wolfie, but. His hand just sunk into Wolfie’s fur, catching Warriors by surprise. 

“How far does this  _ go? _ ” Warriors muttered, “And why is it so  _ soft? _ ” There was no reply. 

As Warriors continued to pet Wolfie and stare up at the sky, his eyes started to drift shut. Every time that they started to, Warriors would blink it off, citing to himself that he didn’t want to fall into another nightmare. But alas, he eventually fell asleep. 

* * *

Warriors awoke to snickers.  _ Very loud _ snickers. Blinking a few times, Warriors attempted to move and heard a protesting grumble. Turning his head towards where he heard the snickers from, Warriors grimaced. There stood Wind, Legend, Hyrule, and Wild, the latter of which was holding his Sheikah Slate. 

“You’d better not be taking any pictures, Wild,” Warriors half-threatened. Wind giggled.

“ _ Too late! _ ” Wind exclaimed, a shit-eating grin on his face. Warriors groaned, and as he did there was a very groggy wolf-noise. 

“Good morning to you too,” Warriors said in a deadpan as Wolfie yawned and blinked a few times. Then, as if the wolf was processing where he was, he stopped and looked around, before dashing off into the woods. Warriors sat up at that.  _ Finally _ . That wolf had been- wait. Why was everyone snickering. 

“What.” Warriors didn’t even phrase it as a question as he looked over at the group standing with the Sheikah Slate. Warriors also spotted Four grinning, Sky smiling one of those soft smiles, and Time just looked bemused. Wind started laughing, as did Legend, and Hyrule snorted. Wild’s grin just grew larger. 

“You’re covered in wolf hair.” 

“Oh god _ dammit,  _ Wolfie! Get your furry ass back here you shitmongrel!” Warriors yelled as he jumped up without so much as a glance at the state of his clothing. 

* * *

Later that month, when Wild did something he wasn’t supposed to  _ again _ , and Warriors spotted Twilight just standing there in anguish over his protege’s reckless behavior - in true Wild fashion, he’d somehow managed to set the field they’d been battling on fire whilst simultaneously freezing it, and was still running around screaming something about mushrooms while Hyrule and Sky chased after him. Without a word, Warriors offered his scarf to the other hero, who took it without saying anything in return. They were quiet for a bit, the only background noise being Wild’s nonsensical shrieks and Hyrule trying to talk sense into him while him and Sky chased after Wild. 

“Thanks,” Twilight said, turning back towards Warriors. Warriors nearly laughed - Twilight had wrapped himself up in the scarf nearly up to his ears, in a manner that reminded Warriors of Ravio, for some reason. 

“It’s the least I can do, considering what you did earlier this month after that nightmare I had,” Warriors returned, and Twilight balked. 

“How the- Wh-  _ How? _ ” Twilight squeaked, and Warriors laughed heartily. 

“You know how I fought across different times? And I fought with people from those times?” Twilight nodded as Warriors spoke. 

“Midna was one of the people I fought with from your time. She talked about you  _ incessantly _ . So when you said you were called Twilight, it was just obvious, man,” Warriors continued. As Twilight gaped, Warriors adopted a shit-eating grin. 

“Plus, you’re not slick. It’s obvious that whenever you sneak off and Wolfie comes back that you’re Wolfie,” Warriors finished, and Twilight gaped like a fish. While Twilight tried to process what Warriors had just told him, Warriors laughed. With shrieks in the background, the two stood there, enjoying the afternoon about as well as you could when a major truth bomb gets dropped on you and someone’s screaming about mushrooms in the background. 

**Author's Note:**

> here's a thing you can check out. what is it? [my tumblr, haha](http://nerdiests.tumblr.com)


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